--Obama to meet with executives from Goldman, Alcoa, among
others
--Obama to meet with representatives from the AFL-CIO, NAACP
--Meeting will discuss immigration
WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama will continue efforts Tuesday
to build support for overhauling the nation's immigration system by
meeting with labor leaders and business executives from companies
such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Alcoa Inc. (AA).
Mr. Obama will meet with labor and progressive leaders, and then
separately with the executives, the White House said.
Representatives from the NAACP, the Center for American Progress
and the AFL-CIO will participate in the meeting.
The meetings are part of the president's plan to enlist public
support to overcome any objections to revamping immigration policy.
Support for immigration has grown in recent weeks after a group of
four Republican and Democratic senators unveiled a legislative
framework that would offer a pathway to citizenship for many of the
11 million people living in the nation illegally.
Mr. Obama praised the group's work and said it is similar to his
own plans on immigration. However, the group's proposal says the
opportunity for citizenship is contingent on securing U.S. borders
first.
Business executives have supported immigration reform in the
hope it will make the country more competitive. Businesses have
complained the U.S. doesn't provide sufficient visas for highly
skilled workers from other countries. Mr. Obama has said he wants
to "staple" green cards to diplomas of science, technology,
engineering and mathematics PhDs and master's-degree graduates.
Labor groups, such as the AFL-CIO, have voiced support for
immigration reform.
Write to Jared A. Favole at jared.favole@dowjones.com
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